{"id":183068,"date":"2026-01-30T11:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T16:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/30\/want-to-know-what-keeps-your-clients-up-at-night-spoiler-alert-its-cybersecurity-and-ai\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T13:40:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:40:09","slug":"want-to-know-what-keeps-your-clients-up-at-night-spoiler-alert-its-cybersecurity-and-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/30\/want-to-know-what-keeps-your-clients-up-at-night-spoiler-alert-its-cybersecurity-and-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Want To Know What Keeps Your Clients Up At Night? Spoiler Alert: It\u2019s Cybersecurity And AI"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want To Know What Keeps Your Clients Up At Night? Spoiler Alert: It\u2019s Cybersecurity And AI<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/01\/want-to-know-what-keeps-your-clients-up-at-night-spoiler-alert-its-cybersecurity-and-ai\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-01-30 11:55:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: abovethelaw.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. <\/p>\n

One thing I noticed\u00a0while\u00a0practicing\u00a0law:\u00a0we tend to focus on reports, data, surveys,\u00a0and even conferences\u00a0that are directed\u00a0solely at\u00a0legal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet there is a world of valuable information\u00a0about those we serve: our clients.\u00a0Indeed, one thing\u00a0you hear\u00a0over and over\u00a0from in-house counsel and\u00a0business people\u00a0is that their lawyers don\u2019t understand their business.\u00a0One way to do that is to get out of the box and listen to what\u00a0they are\u00a0saying.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the annual\u00a0Risk\u00a0Barometer\u00a0Report\u00a0of\u00a0the global insurance carrier,\u00a0Allianz, about\u00a0what keeps business people up\u00a0at\u00a0night is so important.\u00a0And what keeps them up?\u00a0According to the Survey,\u00a0they believe the\u00a0top risks\u00a0to their business\u00a0are\u00a0cyber incidents (42%) followed by AI (32%).\u00a0Both ranked in the top five in every region and across every sector.<\/p>\n

For US businesses, cyber is also number one, followed by business interruption and,\u00a0not surprisingly, legislative change. AI risks were fourth.<\/p>\n

The Survey<\/p>\n

While I can\u2019t vouch for everything in the\u00a0Survey, to say it\u2019s\u00a0pretty comprehensive\u00a0would be an understatement.\u00a0Allianz talked to some 3,338 customers, risk consultants, underwriters, senior managers, claims experts, and other risk professionals. It included representatives from 23 industry sectors.\u00a0And the nature of it lends credibility: the information is just as valuable to Allianz as\u00a0it is to its insureds, so it better be\u00a0unbiased.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So???<\/p>\n

So why is\u00a0knowing about business risks\u00a0important to lawyers? Law firms are businesses\u00a0that\u00a0face the same risks as every other business. It\u2019s\u00a0thus\u00a0a good idea\u00a0to know what the world of business\u00a0considers the significant\u00a0risks to them\u00a0and their revenue. It helps to prepare and be proactive.<\/p>\n

Secondly, for those lawyers who represent businesses,\u00a0the best\u00a0way to get a better understanding\u00a0of a client\u2019s\u00a0business\u00a0is to know what\u00a0they think endangers their livelihood. It helps us guide and advise\u00a0them. And, in the process,\u00a0become\u00a0more\u00a0valuable.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0top\u00a0two\u00a0risks \u2014 cyber and AI \u2014 are\u00a0particularly\u00a0important\u00a0both for law firms and for\u00a0lawyers\u00a0advising and representing\u00a0clients.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Cyber Threat<\/p>\n

This is the fifth year in a row that cyber risks have topped the list.\u00a0And the margin is higher than ever before. It\u2019s the top risk\u00a0identified\u00a0by businesses in almost every country\u00a0and across businesses of all sizes.\u00a0The\u00a0particular\u00a0cyber\u00a0risks cited included cybercrime, IT network and service disruptions, malware\/ransomware, data breaches, fines, and penalties.<\/p>\n

Reflecting the growing concern with cyber, a decade\u00a0ago it was eighth.\u00a0Indeed,\u00a0according to the Report,\u00a0the\u00a0growth\u00a0is reflective of\u00a0the\u00a0deepening reliance\u00a0on\u00a0digital\u00a0technology while the bad guys\u00a0continuously\u00a0evolve\u00a0their\u00a0attack\u00a0mechanisms.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Report\u00a0also notes\u00a0that \u201cAI is supercharging threats, increasing the attack surface and adding\u00a0to existing vulnerabilities\u201d:<\/p>\n

At the same time, attackers are also increasingly using AI to automate attack processes, which enables them to carry out more attacks, faster and more efficiently. AI is also lowering the bar for threat actors, making it easier for criminals who lack technical skills and ransomware expertise to execute attacks.<\/p>\n

Companies are also seeing tightening regulations globally particularly\u00a0with respect to privacy and cyber security which also increases risk.<\/p>\n

Cyber and Legal<\/p>\n

I have\u00a0recently\u00a0written\u00a0about the threat of cyber to law firms and the legal community. It\u2019s a threat that is often not taken as seriously as it should.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the Allianz\u00a0Report\u00a0underscores\u00a0the danger and risks to every business, including law firms.\u00a0Like most other businesses, law firms\u00a0increasingly\u00a0rely on the digital world,\u00a0magnifying\u00a0the risks. And like all businesses, law firms need to recognize the impact of\u00a0AI on cyber threats.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not time to get complacent.<\/p>\n

Think about this: your law firm is hit with a\u00a0cyber attack\u00a0and your timekeeping and billing\u00a0systems\u00a0are frozen. Your attorneys can\u2019t do work and bill time. Consider the business\u00a0interruption cost.\u00a0If that doesn\u2019t keep you up at night, I don\u2019t know what will.<\/p>\n

Law firms have sensitive valuable client communications and information in their digital vaults. That makes that information valuable both to the law firm and to the bad guys.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moreover, arming\u00a0ourselves with knowledge of the\u00a0cyber\u00a0risks and\u00a0client\u00a0concerns\u00a0makes\u00a0us\u00a0valuable.\u00a0We\u00a0need to\u00a0be able to convince our clients we are serious about\u00a0cybersecurity\u00a0and\u00a0that\u00a0we are protecting\u00a0the\u00a0information\u00a0entrusted to us.\u00a0We\u00a0need to be\u00a0able\u00a0to advise clients about the threats, warning them of things like creating\u00a0digital\u00a0discovery trails\u00a0and the AI threats.<\/p>\n

Moreover,\u00a0those lawyers with expertise in\u00a0cybersecurity\u00a0and handling cyber incidents will be in demand.\u00a0So,\u00a0there are lots of\u00a0opportunities\u00a0for lawyers to take advantage of their\u00a0clients\u2019 legitimate cyber worries.<\/p>\n

And\u00a0all of this is compounded by the second big risk: that posed by AI.<\/p>\n

AI Risks<\/p>\n

Clearly\u00a0AI\u00a0exponentially increases\u00a0the\u00a0cyber threat. But\u00a0the\u00a0respondents\u00a0also identified risks\u00a0posed by\u00a0AI implementation, liability exposure, and misinformation\/disinformation\u00a0as concerns.<\/p>\n

Indeed,\u00a0AI risk climbed from number 10 last year to number two this year. It was one of the top five concerns in every industry sector; most believe the risk\u00a0will continue to\u00a0intensify.\u00a0The rapid spread of generative and agentic AI systems,\u00a0paired with their growing\u00a0real-world\u00a0use, has\u00a0also\u00a0raised\u00a0awareness of just how exposed\u00a0organizations\u00a0have become.<\/p>\n

Interestingly,\u00a0about half of the\u00a0respondents\u00a0think the\u00a0benefits\u00a0of AI\u00a0outweigh\u00a0the risks.\u00a0About 20% say just the opposite;\u00a0the rest aren\u2019t\u00a0quite sure yet.\u00a0Businesses are concerned about things like education,\u00a0retraining, and upskilling their workforces and are taking actions in these areas.<\/p>\n

And despite all the hype, according to the Report,\u00a0most organizations remain in pilot mode\u00a0with\u00a0only a few scaling AI across their\u00a0enterprise. This\u00a0means\u00a0investments and expectations\u00a0are rising\u00a0but ROI may not be\u00a0obvious. This\u00a0can lead to\u00a0false conclusions about AI impact which in turn increases risk.<\/p>\n

Importantly:\u00a0\u201cnew\u00a0liability exposures are emerging around automated decision-making, biased or\u00a0discriminatory\u00a0models, intellectual property\u00a0misuse\u00a0and\u00a0uncertainty\u00a0over who is responsible when AI generated outputs cause harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Report also\u00a0mentions the\u00a0threats\u00a0of deepfakes\u00a0and\u00a0automated\u00a0persuasion\u00a0to brand\u00a0integrity\u00a0and\u00a0political\u00a0stability.<\/p>\n

AI and Legal<\/p>\n

Just as with the cyber threats,\u00a0lawyers, legal professionals, and law firms would be well advised to\u00a0recognize\u00a0the AI risks to themselves and\u00a0to\u00a0their clients.\u00a0AI not only\u00a0increases\u00a0cyber risks to law\u00a0firms,\u00a0but it also poses the same education, retraining, and upskilling challenges\u00a0identified by\u00a0the Survey\u00a0respondents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An even bigger challenge is that posed to law firms\u00a0and\u00a0their\u00a0business models, as I, along with countless others\u00a0have discussed\u00a0over and over. Not\u00a0recognizing\u00a0these challenges is folly. \u00a0<\/p>\n

As\u00a0Michael Bruch, Global Head of Risk\u00a0Consulting Advisory Services of Allianz Commercial, is quoted in the Report:\u00a0<\/p>\n

AI\u2019s transformative potential means it cannot be underestimated\u2026Those businesses that can develop risk management\u00a0strategy\u00a0and\u00a0resilience\u00a0strategies\u2014that are forward looking, strategic and functional, and agile\u00a0enoughto adopt to rapid change\u2014will be best\u00a0placed to\u00a0capture\u00a0opportunities\u00a0presented by transformative\u00a0technologies\u2026<\/p>\n

Keeping\u00a0abreast of developments, reading\u00a0industry reports like that of Allianz, and becoming skilled in\u00a0the\u00a0risks and benefits of\u00a0AI are all ways to meet the challenges. Bottom line: take AI seriously. For better or worse it threatens to change the profession. Knowing that is critical.<\/p>\n

And when AI is the number two concern of our clients, we better know as much as they do about it.\u00a0We\u00a0need to lead\u00a0our\u00a0clients, not wait for them\u00a0to\u00a0tell us what to do and\u00a0mandate\u00a0AI\u00a0use.\u00a0Want to be\u00a0valuable\u00a0to your clients: help them understand the risks and benefits of AI. Help them\u00a0implement (or decide not to implement) AI tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To do that, you\u00a0have to\u00a0know as much about AI\u00a0as your clients, if not more.<\/p>\n

Getting Outside the Box<\/p>\n

As I said at the outset,\u00a0finding out what\u2019s important to our clients\u00a0(remember them, those you serve?)\u00a0means\u00a0getting outside the legal box.\u00a0Do that\u00a0by\u00a0reading\u00a0what they read\u00a0and\u00a0going where they go.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I remember the first time I attended\u00a0the annual CLOC\u00a0conference\u00a0and being amazed at how few actual practicing lawyers\u00a0were there. Yet it was an ideal way to learn about what businesses\u00a0were\u00a0doing and how they saw the legal ecosystem. About skating to where the puck is going not where\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0been, to use a\u00a0well-worn\u00a0sporting\u00a0cliche.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The same thing applies to reports like that of\u00a0Allianz.\u00a0Reading it\u00a0forces you to get outside the\u00a0legal ecosystem\u00a0and look at\u00a0business\u00a0concerns. Want to be valued by your client? Learn and understand those\u00a0concerns. Help them sleep better at night.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t do that by\u00a0reading legal reports and\u00a0going to conventions with rooms full of lawyers just like you.<\/p>\n

Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger, and writer. He publishes\u00a0TechLaw Crossroads, a blog devoted to the examination of the tension between technology, the law, and the practice of law.<\/p>\n

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